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He said: 'We trust... that Comandante Chavez will overcome these delicate circumstances sooner rather than later to accompany his nation in the path to new victories,' finishing the statement by saying: 'Viva Chavez!'

Before leaving for Cuba, Chavez acknowledged there were risks and said that Vice President Nicolas Maduro should run in a new election if his cancer fight prevented him from staying on as president.

Maduro has travelled repeatedly to Havana in recent weeks, and has shown documents signed by Chavez on television while insisting the president remains in charge.

On Wednesday, Maduro said that Chavez is undergoing 'extremely complex and tough' treatments, but did not specify what they were.

Proof of life: Chavez was also pictured looking at the Cuba Communist Party newspaper Granma

Medical experts told the Associated Press that the government's recent accounts of 'systemic medical treatment' could mean various types of chemotherapy or drug treatments, depending on the type of cancer.

The 58-year-old president has been undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba on-and-off since June 2011.

He has had tumors removed from his pelvic region, and has also undergone prior rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Throughout the treatments, Chavez has not revealed the type of cancer or the location where tumors have been removed.

Since December, the government has provided regular updates, though there have been fewer updates in recent weeks, and often with only vague descriptions of Chavez's condition.